News: RELIVE JAGUAR AND LAND ROVER LEGENDS WITH NEW CLASSIC DRIVE EXPERIENCE AT E

We all love a classic car or motorcycle up here on the top floor of MotorMartin Towers so when Jaguar Land Rover got in touch recently to talk about their own range of Classics there were quite audible intakes of breath. Jaguar Land Rover Classic have shared with MotorMartin that they have launched a brand new Classic Drive event at Eastnor Castle, which allows guests to experience the terrain where Land Rover honed many of its legendary all-terrain vehicles and to get behind the wheel of some of the most beautiful Jaguars ever made! Superb.

Based at the spectacular 5000-acre Eastnor Castle estate in Herefordshire, the new Classic Drive experience will see visitors tackling Eastnor’s thick mud and challenging slopes in some of the vehicles that helped establish the Land Rover legend.

Jaguar Land Rover have explained to MotorMartin the following regarding some of their most iconic vehicles and as such, MotorMartin is publishing the following in full:

The Land Rover story began with the Series I in 1948, a spartan but unstoppable four-wheel-drive vehicle originally designed for farm and industrial use. This Classic Drive experience offers guests a rare insight into where Land Rover’s off-road DNA was developed from the early 1960s by getting them behind the wheel of an early Series I.

Such was the popularity and capability of the Series I that its design and philosophy ran right through to the Land Rover Defender, which continued in production until 2016 and its legend will continue again in the future. Before the Defender arrived, Land Rover continuously developed its ‘Series’ models. The Series III, introduced in 1971, offered refinements on Land Rover’s go-anywhere formula. With nearly 500,000 Series IIIs sold, it was the car that really took Land Rover to the world, and Classic Drive guests will have the opportunity to experience a Series III for themselves.

In 1970, Land Rover launched the Range Rover, delivering the same off-road ability as the more rugged Series models, but with more of an emphasis on luxury and comfort. It marked the beginning of the Range Rover brand, which has since become one of the most recognisable and respected luxury off-road badges in the world. Now going by the name Range Rover Classic, this first-generation model is available for all Jaguar Land Rover Classic Drive guests to tackle Eastnor Castle’s challenging off-road tracks.

Once guests are finished testing some of Land Rover’s most iconic vehicles on the Eastnor estate, they’ll be able to take the wheel of a select few genuine Jaguar legends. From the late ‘50s is the XK150, the last in the line of XK sports car legends of their time, which began with the XK120 in 1948. When it came time for the XK150 to be replaced, in 1961 Jaguar delivered the legendary E-type, which was hailed as one of the most beautiful cars of its time. Visitors will have the chance to try both a Series 1 E-type and the later Series 3 E-type of the 1970s.

But Jaguar’s reputation for ‘grace, pace and space’ wasn’t just built on sports cars; it also had a number of famous saloon models, including the Mk2. Stylish, luxurious, and fun to drive, the Mk2 found fans among racing drivers, the police force and even in the television adaptation of Inspector Morse. Customers will also be treated to a drive in the Mk2 during the day.

Tim Hannig, Director, Jaguar Land Rover Classic, confirmed with MotorMartin that: “Jaguar and Land Rover have created some of the most beautiful and iconic British cars ever. While their DNA lives on in our modern line-up, we want people to experience where the story developed. Equally, the Eastnor estate has played a huge part in shaping our business, so to be able to bring a selection of our legends together in such a significant location is a real privilege. It’ll be a trip back in time and an experience that only Jaguar Land Rover’s incredible heritage can offer.”